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2021 01 16 CC Minutes Community Workshop Special Meeting CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 1 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP CITY COUNCIL MINUTES SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP SATURDAY, JANUARY 16, 2021 CALL TO ORDER The eighth (8) Annual Community Workshop special meeting of the La Quinta City Council was called to order at 9:03 a.m. by Mayor Evans. Pursuant to Executive Orders N-25-20, N-29-20, N-33-20, N-35-20, and N- 60-20 executed by the Governor of California, and the directives under the “Regional Stay At Home Order” from the California Department of Public Health, in response to the state of emergency relating to novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and enabling teleconferencing accommodations by suspending or waiving specified provisions in the Ralph M. Brown Act (Government Code § 54950 et seq.), this meeting was held virtually via Zoom and members of the City Council, the City Manager, City Attorney, City Staff, City Consultants, and public participated in this workshop by teleconference. PRESENT: Councilmembers Fitzpatrick, Peña, Radi, Sanchez, Mayor Evans ABSENT: None VIRTUAL MEETING MODERATORS (2): Joshua Bonner, President of the La Quinta Chamber of Commerce and the President and CEO of the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce; and Brandon Marley, Director of Communication and Public Outreach at Greater Coachella Valley Chamber of Commerce COMMUNITY MEMBERS REGISTERED: 92 CITY STAFF REGISTERED: 31 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Evans led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. CONFIRMATION OF AGENDA – Confirmed STUDY SESSION 1. ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP: “PERSEVERING THROUGH A PANDEMIC AND MAPPING THE ROAD AHEAD” CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 2 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Mayor Evans said the following La Quinta residents provided WRITTEN PUBLIC COMMENTS, listed below in alphabetical order, which were distributed to Council, made publicly available, and incorporated into the agenda packet and public record of the meeting:  Steve Cherry, La Quinta – related to 1) the CV Link regional project spearheaded by the Coachella Valley Association of Governments (CVAG) – a multi-modal transportation project for bicyclists, pedestrians, and low speed electric vehicles, that will run continuously throughout the Coachella Valley cities, from Desert Hot Springs to Coachella; 2) Highway 111 signage; and 3) Hop-on, hop-off bus service opportunities; and  Dori Quill, La Quinta – expressed support for a “splash pad water-play for kids” facilities at Fritz Burns park; and requested the City continue the current moratorium on new short-term vacation rental (STVR) permits. Mayor Evans noted a regular City Council meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2021, and a special City Council meeting to review and discuss STVR related matters will be held on January 27, 2021. Council welcomed all participants to the 8th Annual Community Workshop and thanked them for their participation, involvement, and commitment to the community. City Manager McMillen explained the purpose and design of the workshop. Finance Director Romero provided a summary of the City’s accomplishments for calendar year 2020 which included economic relief programs, the implementation of new technology, programs implemented and services updated in collaboration with local partnerships and through diverse Ad-Hoc Committees, affordable housing developments, and citywide infrastructure improvements. Finance Director Romero provided an overview of the City’s current financial state which included long-term fiscal sustainability, an overview of reserves, how Measure G sales taxes have been allocated since inception, economic impacts during the COVID-19 pandemic and how the City has leveraged resources to support the local community and business owners, fiscal challenges such as rising public safety and pension obligations and how the City is addressing these. Staff also stressed the importance of community engaging during the budget process, upcoming public meetings and how information gathered from the Annual Community Workshop is incorporated into the budget. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 3 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP WAS RECESSED FOR A BRIEF BREAK AT 9:28 A.M. THE COMMUNITY WORKSHOP WAS RECONVENED AT 9:38 A.M. WITH ALL MEMBERS PRESENT La Quinta’s sacred values, as set by the community during prior Annual Community Workshops were discussed:  Health and Wellness  High Quality Aesthetics  Vibrant and Safe Community  Visually Beautiful City  Cultural Diversity Workshop participants suggested combining “High Quality Aesthetics” and “Visually Beautiful City” into one sacred value; and adding “Overall City Financial Viability” to the list. Public Works Director/City Engineer McKinney, Community Resources Director Escobedo, and Design and Development Director Castro presented the City’s initiatives and Big Rocks projects for fiscal year 2020/21:  Health and Wellness  Fritz Burns Park Re-envisioning and Space Planning  Art and Wellness Programming  X-Park Recreational Amenities  High Quality Aesthetics & Visually Beautiful City  Highway 111 Corridor Plan Implementation  Street and Landscape Design city-wide  Facilitate Current Developments  Building permits and inspections – vertical construction of hotels, shared facilities, resort, and residential construction  SilverRock Park / Venue site  Explore other permit tracking software to further enhance on-line services, application submittals, business licenses, and reporting  Housing Element update  Vibrant and Safe Community  Tri-City Public Safety Review Efforts – Cities of La Quinta, Indian Wells, and Palm Desert  Pavement Rehabilitation and Maintenance Efforts  Transportation Enhancements Efforts  Cultural Diversity – virtual and outdoor opportunities CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 4 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP City Clerk Radeva explained the format of the community-discussion breakout groups. Council commended Staff for their dedication to the community, ingenuity, flexibility, and efforts through the pandemic to ensure continuity of services, and to provide the community with the support and assistance needed during the pandemic and to continue to persevere. Workshop participants were teamed into nine (9) breakout groups and asked to collaborate and share their individual priorities for the community in the upcoming year; and select a spokesperson to report-out on the top three (3) priorities for the entire group. Group 1 – presented by community member Jeff Smith  Health and Wellness – resume Wellness Center and Museum programs and events  Infrastructure improvements – in support of round-abouts and traffic signal synchronization  Development opportunities – in addition to affordable housing projects, the City should also explore mid-income housing development opportunities Group 2 – presented by community member Steven Rosen  Vibrant and Safe Community – maintain adequate levels of public safety services and mitigate rising costs  Vibrant and Safe Community – opportunities to resume tourism activities safely and responsibly, to help the local business community recover from the adverse fiscal impacts of the pandemic, and generate tax revenues  Overall City financial viability – maintain long-term fiscal sustainability and responsibility Group 3 – presented by community member Stephen Nieto  Health and Wellness – resume community events  Provide community education related to the CV Link regional project, which ties into the City’s re-envisioning efforts of the Highway 111 Corridor Area Plan, and related transportation alternatives  Explore opportunities to launch a hop-on-hop-off public transportation along the Highway 111 Corridor  Commercial property vacancies – explore opportunities to support local business and maintain safety CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 5 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Group 4 – presented by community member Loretta Currie  Health and Wellness – provide more community gathering areas along the Highway 111 Corridor, including a satellite library to host books, lectures, etc.; and the CV Link project – bike paths, eating, and community gathering areas  Vibrant and Safe Community – continue tri-cities collaborations to maintain adequate levels of public safety services and mitigate rising costs  Health and Wellness – resume Wellness Center and Museum programs and events fostering a neighborhood community Group 5 – presented by community member Lawrence Best  Health and Wellness – resume Wellness Center and Museum programs and events; including increased storage space for the Museum with climate controls and improved security  Health and Wellness – develop a community garden to promote a healthy lifestyle, a sense of community, and an outdoor activity  STVRs – identify and implement comprehensive solutions Group 6 – presented by community member Karina Melgar  Continue to support the local business community through the COVID- 19 Small Business Emergency Economic Relief Programs  Health and Wellness – resume Wellness Center and Museum programs and events; and continue to collaborate with other regional agencies to provide needed services and assistance to the La Quinta community  Vibrant and Safe Community – maintain adequate levels of public safety services and mitigate rising costs Group 7 – presented by community member George Batavick The group’s overall theme of the discussion was to continue to identify, focus and capitalize on the City’s competitive advantage, and what makes La Quinta stand out from other valley cities:  SilverRock developments, both commercial and the event site – provide better updates and a revised timeline of the projects’ improvements and anticipated completion; and identify events that could be held at the SilverRock Event Site  Improve business retention and sustainability in Old Town La Quinta, and explore opportunities to attract new development  Continue to support the local business community through the COVID- 19 Small Business Emergency Economic Relief Programs, both during the pandemic and through the recovery period  Improve traffic management  Consider expansion of the Wellness Center CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 6 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP Group 8 – presented by community member Deborah McGarrey The group’s overall theme of the discussion was economic development:  Vibrant and Safe Community – continue the tri-cities collaboration efforts to maintain adequate levels of public safety services and mitigate rising costs  Long-term planning and economic development – evaluate the long- term effects of the pandemic, and explore economically viable developments on the east and north ends of the city  Health and Wellness – explore age-group-based usage of the X-Park  Business technology – explore the long-term effects of remote-working opportunities due to the pandemic and related potential financial and technological implications  Economic Development – continue to support the local business community Group 9 – presented by community member Bill Aitken  Increase outdoor living and dining areas in Old Town  Increase the number of local events, and utilize the downtown and SilverRock Event Site  Resurfacing of the La Quinta Cove streets PUBLIC COMMENT ON MATTERS NOT ON THE AGENDA City Clerk Radeva said no additional written comments or requests to speak have been received. Mayor Evans invited the participants to provide public comments. The following PUBLIC SPEAKERS provided verbal comments via TELECONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY, listed in the order in which they spoke:  George Batavick, La Quinta – explore the long-term transformational effects on communities stemming from remote-working options;  Randy Foulds, La Quinta – the CV Link regional project is a great opportunity for businesses along the Highway 111 Corridor to have a dual-storefront – one facing Highway 111 and the other facing CV Link; promote the business-related benefits of the CV Link project;  Philip Bettencourt, La Quinta – inquired about the City’s role in the distribution and administration of the COVID-19 vaccination. General discussion followed regarding the COVID-19 vaccination supply and distribution challenges and efforts through federal, state, county, and local CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 7 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP governments, medical agencies, and other organizations; and the difficulties with scheduling an appointment to get vaccinated. PUBLIC SPEAKERS VIA TELECONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY – Continued  Randy Foulds, La Quinta – recommended the City provide support in guiding the community on where vaccinations are available and how to schedule appointments to get vaccinated;  Stella Church, La Quinta – spoke of the importance of telecommuting and remote working opportunities;  Jody Shapiro, La Quinta – said the agencies administering the COVID- 19 vaccinations do not automatically schedule folks for the second dose, it is the recipient’s responsibility to schedule the second vaccination appointment;  Val and Jeff Smith, La Quinta – spoke of the difficulties and frustrations they have endured in trying to schedule an appointment to get vaccinated, and requested the City provide residents with assistance through this process if possible. Mayor Evans noted that City staff is available to provide support and assistance to residents through the Wellness Center, during the week (Monday – Friday), related to food distribution information, and COVID-19 testing and vaccination. PUBLIC SPEAKERS VIA TELECONFERENCE ACCESSIBILITY – Continued  Steven Rosen, La Quinta – suggested that recipients of the COVID-19 first dose vaccine be provided an appointment card listing when their second appointment has been scheduled, to ensure folks don’t wait too long or miss receiving the second dose, thus rendering the first dose wasted;  Dale Tyerman, La Quinta – said he was unaware that there were challenges distributing the COVID-19 vaccination; and recommended exploring the use of “blood-mobile” and “community-based” distribution approaches once supplies are available;  Joshua Bonner, La Quinta – noted the “new normal” may be much different than the “old normal” and that a lot of the safety and social distancing restrictions may remain in place, and encouraged local agencies to include this in their long-term planning efforts and initiatives;  Julian Martinez, La Quinta – thanked the City for providing public safety and ensuring there are resources and assistance available to residents in need during this pandemic; encouraged folks to get vaccinated; and echoed Mr. Bonner’s comments above that the “new normal” is likely to be much different, and suggested exploring ways, ahead of time, to CITY COUNCIL MINUTES Page 8 of 8 JANUARY 16, 2021 SPECIAL MEETING ANNUAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOP position the City to increase revenues and facilitate the establishment of new business, help existing businesses adapt, and be able to support the business community and ensure that it thrives. Council expressed their gratitude again to the participants for their time and commitment to La Quinta; commended the City’s Commissioners for their continuous oversight, assistance, dedication, and recommendations; thanked Staff for their efforts, flexibility, and ingenuity in finding alternative ways to assist and support the community; said the City is committed to support the community through the pandemic and recovery period; and noted community input and engagement are vital in building our community and establishing the community’s vision of tomorrow. MAYOR AND COUNCIL MEMBERS’ ITEMS – None ADJOURNMENT There being no further business, a motion was made and seconded by Councilmembers Radi/Fitzpatrick to adjourn at 11:36 a.m. Motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, MONIKA RADEVA, City Clerk City of La Quinta, California